The 2001 remake of “Planet of the Apes” was intended as a jumpstart to a second series and more sequels were supposed to be made. However, that film turned out to be such a critical and commercial disaster that all other sequels were canceled. Yet, 20th Century Fox still saw a lot of profit in the franchise and decided to reboot it in another contemporary presentation. The end result is the 2011 movie titled “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, and to get right to the point … this is one of the rare franchise reboots that surpassed expectations and is on par with the qualities of the original classic. Personally, I like this one a little more, and unlike the 2001 picture, this film offered a different experience that wasn’t aiming for cheap B-movie thrills. So, let’s look back and see how this unassuming reboot transformed a once failing franchise into one of the greatest of the decade.
James Franco plays a scientist named William Rodman, who believes he discovered a cure for Alzheimer’s. He tests his drug on a female ape that was with child, and the mother was tragically killed shortly after, but the effects of the drug pass on to the infant. Dr. William takes the youthful ape in his care and names him Caesar. Over time, the two form a strong friendship, but after an unfortunate accident, Caesar is taken to an animal control center where he’s locked away with other apes. The longer he stays there, the more Ceasar dislikes humans, gives his fellow caged apes the same brain drugs given to his mother, and becomes a leader in an ape rebellion. It’s almost like a soft remake of the 1972 sequel “Conquest of the Planet of the apes”, right down to the ape Caesar being the ringleader in an ape rebellion, but there are significant changes in the details.
This movie could have easily been just another
campy installment in the series, but through some competent writing, focusing
on characters, subtle emotional beats, and even a fair amount of substance,
this film went the extra mile in taking a predictable backstory, and transforming
it into an engaging experience. Like the original, the film serves as an
effective warning story about the dangers of science and how a medical
breakthrough may seem like mankind’s greatest accomplishment, when in reality
it becomes our downfall. While the movie doesn’t quite dive into the realms of
really deep or thought-provoking questions, it does at least bring up some
important issues. How far should we go to try and perfect something that was
never meant to be in our control, can we handle that responsibility, is this human
progress or are we just opening Pandora’s Box. Issues like this elevate this
movie above just another campy Sci-Fi.
The cast of characters likewise elevate the quality of the picture. James Franco delivers a genuine and honest performance as the good doctor. The remaining cast members including Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton and David Oyelowo all play their parts quiet well.
However, the star who completely steals the show surprisingly isn’t one of human actors, instead it’s Andy Serkis in his motion capture portrayal of the ape Caesar, who keeps you completely captivated throughout the entire picture. Despite being a special effect, so much character and personality come from his simple body movements and posturing that it feels like a genuinely human performance, in fact many people suggested that he be the first CGI actor in history to be nominated for the best actor award. Of course, Andy Serkis is no stranger to this craft and has played a number of memorable CGI characters, including Golem from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and is also known for playing "King Kong" in the 2005 remake. The remaining apes in the film are also motion captured performances, and it’s a unique change from the makeup that characterized the original films. Naturally, this film received a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Special Effects, making it the first ape movie to receive Oscar recognition sense the original. While I prefer practical makeup, the digital effects looked really good and would only get better with each film to follow.
My favorite aspect of this film by far is its completely different perspective of the wild animal on the loose genera. In most animal attack movies, the wild animal is always the monster that needs to be killed in order for the humans to live, but in this film, it’s not so one-sided. Despite what you may think from seeing the trailer, the apes don’t try to dominate humans, their goal is simply to liberate themselves from the captivity of humankind. In fact, they try their best not to kill anyone, they only kill in self-defense and even in that respect there’s nothing pleasant about it. There’s a moment when Caesar defends himself against the bully character, which unintentionally takes his life, and you can tell from the reaction on Caesar’s face that it really hurt him deep down to take a life. As an interesting result, you find yourself cheering for the apes. Even though you naturally don’t want to see the humans trampled underfoot, this film really gets you to care for the ape characters, and it makes the action all the more engaging.
On that note, the action is used sparingly, but when it happens, it's in serves of the characters and story, which makes it superior to other Blockbusters that simply go for spectacle without any substance. Even with the reserved action, the pacing is consistently strong and maintains momentum as we watch our characters go through their different peaks and low points. The climactic battle on the Golden Gate Bridge is now a hall mark for the franchise and might just be my favorite set-piece of the series. When all the action calms down, the film hits us with one more surprise ... a biological various accidently gets unleashed, and effects humans across the globe. The apes are immune to it, naturally setting the stage for them to become the dominate species on the planet without the need to go into battle.
If I had any reservations with this film, it would be one call-back too many to the classic movies ... I'm really sick of that trend, and at times this movie threatened to buckle with its forced "member berries". Aside from that, this is one of the best entries in the series by a mile, and a benchmark in franchise reboots done right. It has impressive special effects and action, but it works as a genuinely good film, with characters that hold your attention, and a story that keeps you guessing what the outcome might be. It’s the kind of film I hope Hollywood would make more of ... literally a film that can have its cake and eat it too. It succeeded in giving a dormant franchise new life and set the stage for the "Planet of the Apes" series to be one of the best Science Fiction franchises in the decades to come.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 2011 Sci-Fi picture “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
… and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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